Requiem for a Lineman

[I wrote this on Thursday, in memory of my son-in-law's father, who was killed while repairing electrical service following the tornadoes in St. Louis on Wednesday evening.]

You were always on-call, day or night, no matter how horrible the weather. You were up on the pole before the rain even stopped, restoring power so we could have our boobtube and cell chargers and computers. When Katrina destroyed N.O., you left home and drove 900 miles and stayed for weeks in the sweltering humidity to get the power back on. When Sandy hit, you drove 1000 miles to help out there, staying in Red Cross shelters and paying for your own meals. You were smart and funny. You had the best facebook cartoons and jokes. You loved your family more than life.

You died today, restoring power to people who lost it during the tornadoes last night. We will miss you, David. Requiescant in pace.

Thanks, you guys. I have been guilty of being angry and impatient when our power has gone out. I will give more thought to those who get it back on in the future. They truly risk their lives, and sometimes they give their lives, so that we can have our luxuries.